A South Precinct patrol car was approaching the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street when the two officers observed a juvenile male run across Henderson toward the northbound bus stop on Rainier Ave. South. The officers then observed a fight disturbance at that bus stop involving five males actively fighting. The officers approached the group to break up the fight. It was at that time that the youngest member of the group, a 10 year old male, approached the officers holding his arm and stated that he had been shot in the arm. The juvenile pointed to a juvenile male running northbound on Rainier carrying a backpack as the suspect who had shot him. Officers chased after the suspect and took him into custody a short distance away. Inside the backpack the suspect was carrying was a .22 caliber semi-auto pistol. It appears now that the actual shooting incident took place aboard a Metro bus.
Seattle Fire Department responded to the bus stop to treat the injured juvenile. The 10 year old was treated at the scene and transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. The injury is not considered life-threatening. Three of the males fighting at the stop, along with the suspect with the backpack were all detained and transported to the South Precinct. Gang detectives arrived began processing the scene and interviewing suspects and witnesses. After several hours of interviews of all parties involved, the following story emerged:
Several of the juveniles who officers observed at the bus stop were actually aboard the Metro bus. The victim in this case was the juvenile male, 17 , officers observed running down Rainier with the backpack. While on the bus, the group of juveniles confronted the 17 year old and demanded to know where he was from. The 10 year old told him to empty his pockets, causing the victim to believe the group was going to rob him. The group of males, ages 10, 12, 14 and 15, surrounded the victim on the bus. The victim told detectives that the 10 year old took off a backpack he was wearing. The 10 year old then unzipped the backpack and reached inside as if to retrieve something. The victim stated that he feared the suspect was reaching for a gun, so he grabbed him in a “bear hug” type hold, to prevent him from grabbing a possible gun. This effectively pinned the backpack between the suspect and the victim. The suspect still had his hand inside the backpack. At some point during the struggle a shot was fired from inside the backpack. The victim stated at first he believed he had been shot, then quickly realized that the 10 year old had been shot in the arm. Fearing that others in the group might reach in a grab the gun, the victim grabbed the backpack and got off the bus. He was assaulted several times by the group as he was leaving the bus, but able to break away from them and run across South Henderson Street where the officers observed him and took him into custody. The victim was interviewed and released after being interviewed by detectives. The 10 year old suspect was admitted to Harborview Medical Center. After he is medically released, he will be charged with Investigation of Robbery and a weapons violation. Detectives will continue to follow up on this investigation.